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The wuxia genre is resuscitated in the form of a ‘new school’ following the rise of the kung fu phenomenon in the Hong Kong Cantonese cinema. The chapter investigates the underpinning of the ‘new school’ wuxia genre, firstly, by its appearance in the Cantonese cinema, and then, by the major Mandarin studio, Shaw Brothers, which launched a campaign promoting the whole school through the films of the director Zhang Che. The chapter assesses Zhang’s films, which won popularity with a new emphasis on violence and macho male bonding, known as yang gang. Zhang’s films spearheaded a trend, further...

The wuxia genre is resuscitated in the form of a ‘new school’ following the rise of the kung fu phenomenon in the Hong Kong Cantonese cinema. The chapter investigates the underpinning of the ‘new school’ wuxia genre, firstly, by its appearance in the Cantonese cinema, and then, by the major Mandarin studio, Shaw Brothers, which launched a campaign promoting the whole school through the films of the director Zhang Che. The chapter assesses Zhang’s films, which won popularity with a new emphasis on violence and macho male bonding, known as yang gang. Zhang’s films spearheaded a trend, further discussed through the films of other directors.